THE IMPACT OF BABUR'S RELATIONS WITH TRIBES ON MUGHAL ADMINISTRATION: AN EXPERT ANALYSIS
Main Article Content
Khalid Bashir
Ishfaq Ahmad Mir
This paper proffers an expert evaluation of Babur's complex relationships with the diverse tribal communities of the subcontinent in the early years of the Mughal Empire. It shows, through a focus on Babur's governance structures, that he instead navigated a politically partitioned landscape characterized by alliances between tribal leaders and the consolidating of his own power. His diplomacy and military acumen were not tactical exercises but part of his state-building efforts - a delicate balance between autonomy to tribal people and the need for centralized authority. The paper discusses that Babur's acknowledgment of local power structures and imperial ambitions really laid down the ground for the early stability of the Mughal Empire. His strategic engagement with tribal leaders not only stabilized his reign but also set the basis for administrative reforms and innovations developed by his successors. This study underlines Babur's political acumen, reminding the reader that his dealings with tribal elements played a central role in forging the early Mughal state. His policies of strategic balancing of tribal autonomy with imperial goals proved pivotal in navigating the fractured landscape of the subcontinent. The analysis here gives a nuanced view of how, during his reign, he uniquely presented state formation in such a way that led to the long influence and eventual consolidation of the Mughal Empire, one of South Asia's most powerful and enduring empires.
Amin, S. (1996). The world of the Indian Ocean merchant: A study of the Indian Ocean trade, 1700-1800. Oxford University Press.
Babur. (1921). Baburnama: Memoirs of Babur (A. Beveridge, Trans.). Luzac& Co.
Chandra, S. (1997). Medieval India: From Sultanat to the Mughals – Mughal Empire (1526-1748), Part 2. Har-Anand Publications.
Chatterjee, I. (2014). The Mughal Empire: A very short introduction. Oxford University Press.
Dale, S. F. (2004). The garden of the eight paradises: Babur and the culture of empire in Central Asia, Afghanistan and India (1483-1530). Brill Academic Publishers.
Eaton, R. M. (1996). The social history of the Deccan, 1300-1761: Eight Indian lives. Cambridge University Press.
Erskine, W. (1854). A history of India under the first two sovereigns of the house of Timur, Babur and Humayun. Longman, Brown, Green, and Longmans.
Gommans, J. J. L. (2002). Mughal warfare: Indian frontiers and highroads to empire 1500-1700. Routledge.
Habib, I. (1999). The agrarian system of Mughal India (1556–1707). Oxford University Press.
Khan, I. (2006). The Mughal Empire and its legacy. Blackwell Publishing.
Lal, K. (2005). The Mughal state and its challenges. Rawat Publications.
Metcalf, B. D., & Metcalf, T. R. (2012). A concise history of modern India. Cambridge University Press.
Metcalf, T. R. (2007). The Mughal Empire. In The Cambridge History of India: Volume 2, The Delhi Sultanate and the Mughal Empire (pp. 23-78). Cambridge University Press.
Moosvi, S. (1987). The economy of the Mughal Empire: C. 1595, a statistical study. Oxford University Press.
Mujumdar, R. C. (1992). History of the Mughals: Volume 1, Babur. Orient Longman.
Nizami, K. A. (1991). The socio-economic history of the Delhi Sultanate. MunshiramManoharlal Publishers.
Peters, G. (1995). Central Asian history and culture: Perspectives from the Islamic world. Routledge.
Richards, J. F. (1993). The Mughal Empire. Cambridge University Press.
Richards, J. F. (1995). The Mughal Empire: A historical overview. In The Cambridge History of India: Volume 2, The Delhi Sultanate and the Mughal Empire (pp. 78-112). Cambridge University Press.
Rizvi, S. A. A. (1975). Religious and intellectual history of the Muslims in Akbar's reign, with special reference to Abu'lFazl, 1556-1605. MunshiramManoharlal Publishers.
Sahni, R. (2012). Mughal architecture: An enduring legacy. HarperCollins Publishers.
Subrahmanyam, S. (1992). The Mughal state, 1526-1750. Oxford University Press.
